Posted by tracker on October 05, 2001 at 17:47:14:

In Reply to: Pulling my machine off the table! Help! posted by Puzzled on October 05, 2001 at 16:44:31:

What type of machine do you have and are you using a heated humidifier and is it an Ultra Mirage or Mirage.
I have only been on CPAP since May and like most of "us" have struggled with a variety of problems getting accustomed to the "ritual"
From at first thinking there is no way on earth that I can ever cope with this machine, I'll never be able to breathe thru my nose(I'm a lifelong mouth breather) etc etc
The lure of recovering your life will force you to do things we think are impossible and once you start experiencing results, it is all worth it.
I ask about the type of system your using as I had some major struggles with masks and noisy CPAP units which kept my wife awake(till I moved into the spare room)etc.
I am currently using a ResMed Elite 6 which I find excellent and is also much quiter than other units I have tried. The Ultra Mirage Nasal mask is the most comfortable I have tried and have even woke up thinking I had taken it off and then realized it was still on! Also, much of the discomfort I experienced was from poor humidification(no humidifier and then using a passover type, neither of which were effective)and I now use a Humidaire unit with the Elite unit which is really a great help in improving comfort level and thus compliance. Thelast couple of days I even used hot tap water to speed up the process and found this even more effective.
The main thing I found is to get really comfortable with mask etc before you go to bed and then work with it gradually and if you do remove it, try to do better the next night.
I found that trying to find the most comfortable postion possible(different for everyone)is critical and trying to prop yourself up with pillows to stablize your body without putting uneven pressure on the mask so as to cause leaks is a real "balancing act" which takes time to adjust to make it work.
I sleep on my side, use a pillow between my knees and lower leg to stablize and align my back(on advice from my wifes back doctor)and try to adjust the other pillow so that mask extends just beyond the edge so that I feel minimal pressure on the mask from the pillow.
You might even try a pillow at your back to help stop moving around too.
You might want to look into one of the swing arms for the hose which attaches to the top of the bed or wall to allow more movement without pulling the machine onto the floor.
And then there are nights when none of this works right and we try again the next night.
Persistance is the key, I took almost 2 months to really start to see some really positive results and apart from some sinus setbacks the last couple weeks which are part of the problems for many of "us" , I have experienced some dramatic improvement in wellbeing.
Hope some of this rambling will help.
All the best,in your quest for rest!

Follow Ups:

• Re: Pulling my machine off the table! Help! Cue Miller 19:17 10/05/01 (0)
• Re: Pulling my machine off the table! Help! Pat 18:21 10/05/01 (0)

---

Copyright ©1995-2005 Sleepnet.com., All rights reserved